It is suggested
that you obtain some inexpensive water colors with brush included (K-Mart,
Grand Central, Skaggs, etc.).These
will be easy for the boys to use, and will not create the hazard to clothes
that other forms of paint might.If
you decide to use the string art for your design segment, you will need:

Hammer, small
nails or brads, scrap wood, felt; colored thread.

For sculpturing,
purchase the oil-base modeling clay, which will not dry out.

A simple
construction consists of collected "garbage," from around the
yard, put together to form a collage.

For this, you
will need:

1/2 size poster
paper, Elmer's glue; scissors.

For your mobile,
you might use plastic straws as the supporting bars.

For the original
painting, you might like to try water color blot pictures, made by folding a
paper in 1/2, opening it out and applying small dots of paint, then quickly
folding the paper and smoothing it together from the center out, then
opening it up to dry. This could become a main object, or background for a
pen or pencil line sketch.

LEAF
SCAPES

Using leaves,
paint and your pen or pencil, you can make an interesting landscape.

Diversification
of leaf form is the key to the basic formation of these designs. Select many
leaves and press until partially dry.Place
on a sheet of construction paper until the design and pattern fits the
individual taste and need.

Hold various
leaves in place with a straight pin. Lightly spray with various colors as
your own individual creativity dictates.Remove leaves that have provided a stencil effect for the leaf scapes.
Additional artistic effects may be obtained by using a brush or pen and
appropriate colors.Mount and
frame as desired.

This activity
would be a good way to study complimentary colors or shading and blending
from the color wheel.It is
also a way to make a design using both straight and curved lines.Press and dry many leaves of various species of trees.(Leaves can be dried between sheets of wax paper, weighted down with
heavy books.)These leaves are
carefully glued to construction paper and are again pressed to insure their
adhesion to the paper.As
leaves dry, their colors are frequently lost.To bring back some of nature's greatness, the leaves are retouched
with water color to resemble their natural state.Or you can use the spray paint technique discussed on the previous
page.Add your originality and
personal ideas for enhancement.

Heart
of America Council

The Artist
activity badge can be a fun and exciting experience for the boys. It is not
designed to make him an artist, but to introduce him to some of the many
different skills used by artists of all kinds and to help him understand how
an artist works and what he is trying to express.For many people art is a vocation, the way they make their living.For others it is a recreational activity which may develop into a
lifelong hobby.

Den Activities

·Invite an art teacher to talk about
the basics of art and answer questions about the re-quirements.

·Visit an art museum or design layout
shop._ Talk about design.

·Try modeling clay.

·Make mobiles.

·Have an art show.

·Make frames.

Slippery Finger Paint

Put on old clothes and
cover your worktable well with old newspapers when you try this colorful
project.

To make a rubbing, just place a piece of paper over any hard,
raised surface and color over it.Whenever
it is possible, use masking tape to hold the paper in place while rubbing.

Another rubbing technique is done with aluminum foil.Just place the foil over the particular object and press and mold the
foil with your hand.Some objects you can use for this technique are:

Wrought iron trivets

Bells

Coins

Jewelry

But regardless of which technique you decide to use (you may even
want to experiment with both kinds), you will have fun!

Wire Sculpture Action People

Your boys will love this intricate but engrossing art project.They can fill the hours spent inside on a rainy day creating a wire
sculpture of a favorite sports figure or memorializing a treasured family
member or activity.

Materials:

Old magazines

Telephone wire (or any flexible wire)

Cardboard base

Stapler

1. Look through the magazines for pictures of people in action.(Examples: playing tennis, dancing,running.)

2. Choose a picture to use as a model for a wire sculpture.

3. Form the head, body, and legs with long lengths of telephone
wire in-groups of two to four strands.Add arms and props such as a tennis racquet, bat, or baby.

4. Staple the figure onto the cardboard base.

Games

Motion
Pictures

Everyone stands in one long row.Give a piece of paper and a marker to each player.The player holds his paper on the back of the person in front of him.Explain that they are to draw a picture as soon as the music starts.Have everyone draw the same thing (such as a horse, elephant, pig,
etc.).A leader stands at the
front of the row and when music starts, he leads the group “Conga”
style dancing around the room. (drawing begins.)When the music stops, compare pictures.The one most recognizable wins.

Materials found in Baloo's
Bugle may be used by Scouters for Scouting activities provided that
Baloo's Bugle and the original contributors are cited as the source of the
material.